Young Bodies Heal Quickly (Andrew T. Betzer | New York, NY | 102 min.)Two young brothers drift aimlessly through their summer until the accidental death of a young woman. With few options, the duo flees arrest across state lines in search of refuge. With a tendency to exacerbate even the calmest of situations, the eldest brother gets them booted from each and every hideout, resigning the youngest to follow him into car chases, knife fights with French Chefs, and finally a Vietnam War re-enactment with their estranged father. At turns poetic, funny, and poignant, Andrew T. Betzer’s feature debut is the epitome of an American Primitivist film. Shot on lush 16mm, this quietly mesmerizing story sees the brothers transition from boys to men, though not through responsibility, but rather an absorption of the world—good and bad—around them.

Rooftop Films is a New York based non-profit whose mission is to engage diverse communities by showing independent movies in outdoor locations, producing new films, coordinating youth media education, and renting equipment at low cost to artists.